Killing Time At Long Ridge

Soon after my last post I decided to put off hunting for a week or two past the opening day of the 15th. The first two weeks of archery in this unit are bucks only. Since I have not one picture of a mature buck on my three cameras yet, I decided to hold off for cooler weather. No point in heating up those stands early in the season when nothing is moving. In addition it was quite warm for a bit and I do not care much for hunting whitetails in 70 degree heat. It is now much cooler, 40's at night and 60's during the day. Getting nice, but then this week it has rained on and off all week. Anytime during the next week during good weather I'll head out to to take a stand. In the meantime...to kill time, I headed over to Epsom NH to take in the first annual  banquet put on by the NH Chapter of Quality Deer Management Association. I was not even aware we had a state affiliated chapter until I cruised our woodlands with a UNH wildlife biologist who turned out to be an avid deer hunter. He told me about it, I joined and voila! For a fledgling chapter, I thought 150 people made for a very good banquet. The food was delicious, there was a wonderful silent auction and tons of great guns and hunting equipment raffled off. As usual I bought fifty raffle tickets, and won not a thing.  I did not realize it, but if I had brought a deer head with me, I'd have been given a free years membership! Below are some pictures from the event

These are some of the finer specimens..Most of the deer were New Hampshire deer, but I did see a few from Ohio and the upper end places.

Meanwhile, back at Long Ridge, I have been gathering up pictures from the cameras. This is a nice bearded turkey on the Far Field clover. Couldn't find him this spring, but I have a fall turkey tag which is valid October 10-14.

If you enlarge this picture you can really see how fat and well conditioned this mom and her babe really are. It looks like a bumper acorn and apple crop too, so winter conditioning should be excellent.

See what I mean? This camera is actually on an apple tree!

This guy was born this spring, and he has knobs 4-5 months later. Lots of high quality forage does this.

Just one more alert doe.

A fisher at a mineral lick...

This guy needs two years to be a real taker...

Better way up here on the Far Ridge, than back at the farm chicken coop!

This little buck below is on the East Ridge plot. For some reason, not many hunters care to hunt up there, but I think it's a great place to take a stand especially if you want to take a doe for the pot.

Same place, but this time a doe!

Below looks like the same buck as the one shown on the mineral lick above. Still in velvet as of the 20th...

And to round out the wildlife species near the mineral lick, here is a nice looking hen.

This doe, if taken, will field dress well above 130!

Below you see mom and babe stuffing on apples. My last post she was fully spotted. Now the spots are clearly going fast. A very robust fawn this one is...

jackzeller@myfairpoint.net